Serum vaspin levels in type 2 diabetic patients are associated with the severity of lower limb vascular lesion

Abstract

Objective To explore the association between serum vaspin levels and the severity of the lower extremity vascular lesions in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods According to the lower extremity artery plaque, stenosis and intima-media membrane thickening severity score, 92 cases of T2DM patients were divided into three groups: simple diabetes group (DM1 group) (32 cases), mild diabetic lower limb vascular lesion group (DM2 group) (33 cases), and moderately severe diabetic lower limb vascular lesion group (DM3 group) (27 cases). Twenty-six age- and gender-matched apparently healthy controls (control group) were recruited as well. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), ankle-brachial index (ABI), insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), and other indicators were determined, serum vaspin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results After adjustment for age and gender, the DM1 group had a significantly higher serum vaspin level than control group (P<0.01), while for the DM2 and DM3 groups, serum vaspin levels were significantly lower than the DM1 group (P<0.01). Partial correlation analysis showed that serum vaspin was inversely associated with HOMA-IR (r=-0.461, P=0.001) and positively correlated with ABI (r=0.462, P=0.001). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that SBP, ABI and fasting serum vaspin levels were significantly associated with the presence of the lower extremity vascular lesions in type 2 diabetes. Conclusions Serum vaspin levels were significantly elevated in simple type 2 diabetic patients while the reduction of its level might be associated with the formation of lower extremity vascular lesions in type 2 diabetic patients. Key words: Diabetes mellitus, type 2/ME/CO; Serine proteinase inhibitors/ME; Diabetic angiopathies/ME; Lower extremity/BS